Wednesday, May 25, 2016

China Glaze Let's Jam

I only blogged one polish from last year's China Glaze summer offerings, but with this year's China Glaze summer collection upon us, now seems like a good time to share one of my Lite Brite picks. Half the Lite Brite display was empty when I first encountered them at Sally's last month, and with their mix-and-match B2G1 sale, I opted for two other colors instead. But I couldn't get this purple out of my mind, and when I made the mistake of killing time at another Sally's later that month, I caved.

PSA: Sally's is having a China Glaze (and Orly) buy 2 for $11 promo that ends tomorrow. You know, if you're so inclined. ;)

I hesitated with Let's Jam for so many reasons, the biggest ones being that (1) it's enough of a medium purple to look merpy on me and (2) surely I had a dupe somewhere -- that is, a dupe in a violet creme base. The blue flash in this polish is such a simple touch but also such a vibrant one, making this unique ... and happily, quite wearable for me.

In case anyone was wondering, this is the purple polish I had on in my Instagram posts 2 weeks ago. I ended up wearing this for 12 days ... I meant to take it off but I got busy and then I got sick, so it stayed on. Not that I had a problem with that, because this is so freaking pretty.

Three coats with SV.

That blue flash, though! It's SO great. For the curious, the answer is YES! -- it is *very* visible to the untrained eye (and from a distance, at that)! I'm just saying, if even my beyond colorblind boyfriend can detect it, then it must be fairly strong. ;) Another thing I like about this shimmer is that it lasted throughout the duration of this mani -- while my top coat dulled the shine, the shimmer continued to slay. I wouldn't classify Let's Jam as a true neon; if anything, it's closer to ChG's neon pastel game circa Summer 2013. Not totally electric, but the next best thing. I'm debating whether this is pastel, but IDK when I've called other polishes in a similar range "pastel." Feel free to chime in!

I'm feeling a bit iffy about the formula, however. It's not bad at all! I just wish I had known not to load up my brush, because this dries quickly, like a neon matte would, and if you load up your brush then your nails will be a lumpy disaster, especially when your dying bottle of SV is drying on top of that. #askmehowiknow. So I say, take what you normally use, and then dab half of that against the bottleneck rim. Once I did that, everything was easy peasy (lemon squeezy). I've read reviews where people say it's opaque in one coat, and ... eh. Like, you can cover your nail in one coat?, but I wouldn't say it's perfectly opaque -- two is better (I used three out of habit and also, photos). As I said, I wore this for 12 days; however, it started chipping to all hell on the sixth day, and oh my God, the Seche scuffs were awfulllll ... let's just say Let's Jam looks far more presentable in these swatch photos than it did IRL by the time I removed it.

I think Ulta has full displays of the Lite Brites collection now, and of course you can try your luck at Sally's (although I think Sally's has been rolling out this collection since April, maybe even late March). You'd probably also find some good deals on this online, but lately I've taken to buying from brick & mortar stores since I'm in a support-local-business phase -- which, let's face it, it shouldn't be a phase, but that's where I am right now. ANYWAY, I feel like the other Lite Brites I have aren't as exciting as the ones making a big splash on IG and on blogs, but those were the ones I was most excited about among what was left to me. I'm a sucker for brights and neons! What can I say?

Obviously, I love this polish and I'm glad I got it in the end. (While I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it, that surprise was nowhere near what I felt vis-à-vis ChG Pink or Swim, so no Sgt. Doakes surprise .gif here today. I don't know why I felt the need to clarify this, but now you know!) Anyone else feeling Let's Jam? Lite Brites? Summer polishes in general? In your opinion, what mainstream brand releases the best summer polishes? My answer is anybody but OPI -- Zoya, Orly, China Glaze, Essie ... OPI does do some nice tie-ins, but IMO, those aren't necessarily released with summer in mind. As always, I'd love y'alls input on that question.

All right, I'm out. If all goes according to plan, then tomorrow begins my mini D.C. weekend! To put it succinctly, I am very excited and scared. But it'll be fun. Hope you guys have a good Memorial Day Weekend, too! I can't believe it's been a year since Anna's wedding. Time has a way of passing, doesn't it?

P.S. Today is SMA's gotcha day! I would spam the shit out of this post, but ... Instagram. (His very own hashtag is HERE.) I can't believe it's been four years since B adopted him. SMA is still very much a sweet little bratty duchess prince, but I don't think I'd have him any other way. (Okay, maybe I would love him more if he let me pick him up and cuddle him for longer than ten seconds ... what even is the point of having a pet if you can't do that? --asked the girl who's never had a pet, which probably is why I'm so entertained and enamored by him)

Here's a pic B took on his phone last month after they both fell through the attic floor and guest room ceiling. >__< You would never guess this is a cat who had been freaking out because he'd gotten stuck in the insulation moments before. He scratched the crap out of B's shoulder, but other than that, they're fine (and so is the guest room ceiling). I guess I can't leave those guys alone for a day, because this is what happens.

Look at dis chunky qt!

Likes: attention, his kitty water fountain, his new litter box in the garage, open windows, sleeping on hoomins when they're under the afghan, supervising in the kitchen, clawing up carpet, hiding under the bed sheets, getting treats when hoomins leave the house, sleeping on top of the car in the garage, Cat Dancer, bunny kicking his kitty tower, lettuce, chewing on twist ties, and giving head bonks, kisses, & nuzzles

Dislikes: Lana Manpaws, being an indoor cat, claw trimmings, being brushed, being picked up and held for more than 10 seconds, closed doors, forced selfies, healthy cat food, the loud noises when the lawn guys work outside, the doorbell, belly rubs, the cat carrier, car rides to the vet's

What a doofus. Still not a cat person because they're so weird, but I'm this cat's person ... er, one of them. I love you, Mr. Archer!

Thank you for checking out my little nail blog! I do read and appreciate your comments and/or feedback, although it might take me a few days to get back to you. Time-sensitive inquiries should be directed to my e-mail address (rachswatched@gmail).

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STUFF about me ...

A nail diary powered by Droid pictures, commentary, and LOTS of pop culture since July 2011.

I get really excited about random things and I want you to get excited, too! I talk too much, am a compulsive three-coater and one of the most atypical, ridiculous Virgos you will ever meet. Sterling Meowlory isn't my cat.